Our Perspective | By Dawn Simonson, President and CEO of Trellis
We were thrilled to host Senator Amy Klobuchar and AARP Minnesota executive director, Cathy McCleer, at the Trellis office on October 12. The purpose was to raise awareness about the cost of prescription drugs for older adults and the burden that it puts on their lives and the lives of their families.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, older adults consume 34% of all prescription drugs, though in 2019 they are only 16% of the population. Nearly 9 out of every 10 people 65+ use at least one prescription drug and more than half of people 65+ take four or more prescription drugs.
The cost of prescription drugs often puts people in the position of choosing between buying food, paying rent or keeping up with their prescription drugs. Choosing not to fill prescriptions or cutting back on the dosage too often seems like the only feasible option. Doing so is a short-sighted fix, often resulting in the need for more costly care down the line. One man we know of quit taking his diabetes medications when he ran into financial problems and by the time our Older Americans Act provider had contact with him, his uncontrolled diabetes put him at risk for having his leg amputated.
Another was sent home from the hospital with a prescription for antibiotics after being treated for a serious infection. When the Trellis social worker checked in with him once he got home, he admitted that he couldn’t afford the prescription. It took ten days before the social worker and patient were able to work through the system to get an antibiotic that was covered under his Medicare insurance. In the meantime, he was re-admitted to the hospital when his infection flared up again.
Medicare coverage is complex. Trellis and the Senior LinkAge Line provide unbiased counseling to help people choose the Medicare plans that are best for them. During open enrollment periods, we frequently help people make changes to their Part D or Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans to meet their current needs. Because each plan has a different set of drugs that are provided at the lowest cost, changing a plan can produce substantial savings—sometimes $500 to $1,000 per month.
The high cost of prescription drugs is particularly difficult for people whose incomes are too high to qualify for Low Income Subsidy (LIS or Extra Help) but not high enough to cover all their costs of living. There is little that we can do to help this large group of people and it is a growing concern.
According to the federal Administration on Community Living, the average person age 65+ spent $6,833 in out-of-pocket health care costs in 2019. The cost of prescription drugs is a substantial part of that cost, and it is unsustainable for many older adults.
We thank Senator Klobuchar for her efforts to keep the cost of prescription drugs down and for including Trellis in the conversation.
